REIGN: Should Forbidden Love Dare To Blossom?

Love is a wondrous state of bliss, and nothing is better than forbidden love. Classic tales of forbidden love have tantalized audiences for centuries. In REIGN’s delicious modern tale of the rise of Mary, Queen of Scots, the show has embraced the idea that Mary (Adelaide Kane) may indeed be a “queen of hearts” as well. It went so far as to create the bastard brother of her fiance, aptly called Bash (Torrance Coombs), who promptly caught Mary’s eye the second she returned from her Scottish convent to the French court. But due to Mary’s station, her family and country’s expectations, and her own naïve belief that she is actually in love with her betrothed, Mary chose to ignore the her fleeting interest in Bash and focused her attention and desires on her fiancé, Prince Francis (Toby Regbo).

Yet in this week’s episode, entitled “A Chill In the Air” (written by Jenni Urman), Mary’s lovely little love-balloon pops. Even throughout the near-marriage to the Prince of Portugal, Mary’s heart still belonged to Francis. It was only too evident to all that saw them together and it inspired jealous rage in Tomas (Manolo Cardona), and feelings of admiration in Bash who seemed to wish for once to be in his brother’s shoes – if only to get the girl. But reality is rarely as rosy as Mary dreams it can be. In this week’s episode, Mary comes face to face with a beautiful woman from Francis’ past – a woman who seems willing to do anything to regain his favor.

The interesting thing about the REIGN era is the wide acceptance of mistresses who claim a place of privilege in royal’s life. They are not relegated to the dark corners of a bedroom or boudoir, they can stand proud and tall next to the man that holds them in high regard. King Henry’s mistress Diane (Anna Walton) is nearly a queen in her own right as she moves throughout society and frequently stands by his side for state events. It is a burden that the queen, Catherine de Medici (Megan Follows) endures with long-practiced grace.

But when confronted with a similar situation with Francis, Mary’s tender heart rebels. She is not yet even married and yet she is being cast aside for a mistress. Strong-willed and determined to not be a queen in name only, Mary will attempt to stand her ground. Yet with resistance both from Francis and his family, Mary is boxed in. So throwing caution to the wind, Mary dares to do something she would have never dreamed of before – she dares to think of another. As a queen she cannot forsake or revoke her intended marriage to Francis, but she will be damned if she will stand idly by while he tosses her aside to take up with another woman on the eve of their wedding.

So with Bash standing by, will there be a chance for Mary to explore a forbidden romance? Is Bash foolish enough to incur his brother’s wrath by acquiescing to Mary’s attentions? As a bit of a tease, look for the moment when Bash tells Mary, “It is unfathomable that Francis has you. Why would he look elsewhere?” This episode will delight fans who have been wishing for just such a moment to taste forbidden love.

Be sure to tune in for an all new episode of REIGN to enjoy every delicious moment of it. REIGN airs Thursday nights at 9:00 p.m. on the CW. Forbidden love, forbidden romance and forbidden lust shall be served up like dessert!

Tiffany Vogt is the Senior West Coast Editor, contributing as a columnist and entertainment reporter to TheTVaddict.com. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower).